Apparatus for treating fabrics



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@@. 24:1 11933 F. HaNNEKENs I APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 2, 1950 www# @c&.24, E933. F. HINNEKENS APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Deo. 2. 1930 6X PR v I'Patented oci. 24,1933

PATENTV orFicr.

UNiTED STATES This invention relates to machines for treating fabrics and other lengthy pieces of fibrous material, as with liquid (for instance, in washing) in which the fabric is advanced by suitably driven rollers and between each two of them it is held extending down into a liquid bath, or in measuring the pieces. It -is herein illustrated in reference to a fabric-washing machine. One object is to provide an improved expansible roller with which the -fabric moves in tractive engagement with its periphery. Another object is to provide an apparatus for measuring material of the 'kind indicated which shall include as its actuated element such an expansible roller. Another object is to construct an apparatus for treating the material with liquid in which the material is advanced by suitably driven rollers and between each two of themV is held extending down intox a liquid bath so that the amount of tension on each down-bend thus formed inthe fabric may be indicated and also regulated to compensate for or prevent departure from some predetermined degree.

In the drawings,

Fig'. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of

the improved apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-72, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows the improved roller mainly in longitudinal central section but partly in side elevation;

Fig. 4 is an 'end elevation thereof; and

Figs. 5 and 6 sections on lines 5--5 and 6 6, respectively, of Fig. .3.

A tank 1 comprises a series of open-top vats and alternating spaces or compartments 4 having outlets 5 and into which the vats 2, being supplied with liquid in any way (not shown)v overow, as

at 6. ,a0 In brackets l on the tank and alternating with the vats are journaled the shafts of rollers 8 (to be more particularly described hereinafter), and these are all geared at 9 with a common longitudinal shaft 10 which may be journaled in brackets 7a, as by the worm-and-wormwheel gearing shown; In each vat are vertical guideways l1 for the bearings 12. of the shafts or equivalent 13 of other rollers 14, which as shown are submerged in the liquid 3. The fabric A extends over rollers 8 and under rollers 14, wherefore as shown it is maintained a series of downlbends each dipping into the liquid in a vat. Wh'en the shaft 10 is driven by any means (not shown) the rollers 8 will by tractionI advance the fabric lengthwise of itself, causing it to `progress through the several liquid baths.

The tension of the fabric in each vat 2 is ascertained and regulated as follows:

The structure including each bearing 12 also comprises an upstanding shaft 15 which may be 2 containing liquid baths 3, as washing liquid, l

confined to up and clown movement by sliding in the corresponding bracket 7 and has an abutment 15a. Between this abutment and the bracket,

forming another abutment, is a spring 16 coiled about the shaft. Each shaft 15 by 'its movement up orvdown with reference to-the fixed structure, as will appear, forms an indicator, but I prefer to amplify the means for indication in. some way,

'as by providing a dial 17 fixed to one of the brackets '7 and a revolving pointer 18 which is here provided on a pinion 19 fixed to a shaft 19a itself journaled in the bracket 7 and adapted to be rotated by a rock 20 on the shaft. The shafts and springs are of course duplicated with respect to each roller, one at each end thereof.

Assume the apparatus is to operate on a length of goods adapted upon being wetted to have a certain degree of variation in length and which is first passed through the apparatus sufficiently to extend around all the rollers 8 and 14. The fabric being assumed to have tractive (that is, substantially non-slippage) contact with the rst two rollers 8 the greatest variation will occur as to the first down-bend portion thereof because that portion undergoes change from dry to wet as the fabric is so passed. It is assumed to be known what degree of variation and consequent tension the fabric can undergo at this point without injury thereto, and if the adjoining indicator shows more or less than substantially that degree of tension adjustment as to one of the rollers 8 relatively to the other is effected so that the first roller will feed the fabric at faster rate than the second, if the tension is ,too great, or at slower rate than the second, if the tension is insufcient. Having effected adjustment as to the first two rollers in this way so as to obtain the proper tension on the rst down-bend the same is done with respect to the second and third so as to obtain the proper tensin on the sec--v ond down-bend, and so on throughout the series.

shrinkage rather than extension of the fabric is what usually follows its being wetted, and in that case the usual practice would be to adjust with respect to the first roller to increase its feed of the goods and then with respect to the others. Though usually it will be sought to have the tension of all of the down-bends equal `(or the tension of the entire portion of the fabric which is undergoing treatment at any time uniform) nevertheless it is true of my invention that the tension is indicated as to any down-bend independently of the others and that the tension of any one may be changed independently of the others,

v to wit, by changing the peripheral speed of one of its sustaining rollers 8 relatively to the other.

Each roller 8 is here constructed for adjustment in diameter thus:

On shaft 21 are splined at 21a the two heads 22, wherefore the shaft is movable longitudinally soA but not rotatively with respect to the heads. The heads, with a cylindrical mries of slats 23 arl ranged between them, form the roller body, the

slats being capable of radial adjustment with respect to the heads. For this purpose the construction is as follows: Each slatincludes a metal strip 25 fixed in a longitudinal groove 24 in the slat proper by pins 26 having their ends upset and countersunk in the slats, the strip having at a plurality of points in the length thereof crosssectionally angular (here r-shaped) inclined ns 27 all converging toward one end of the roller. The shaft has disks 28 xed thereon and all having transverse of their peripheries T-shaped grooves 29 receiving the fins and all likewise converging toward said end of the roller. And finally the shaft has screwed thereon nuts 30 abutting the heads and adapted to clamp them and the heads together and secure the shaft to the roller body formed by them. rI'he shaft and its disks form in effect a structure having wedges which when it is adjusted lengthwise of the roller body determines the radial displacement of the slats 'and hence the effective diameter of the roller. The adjustment is obviously a matter of unscrewing one nut 30 and screwing up the other; and when eifected the nuts clamp the heads, slats and said wedge structurel together as a unit, the slats being held against radial displacement upon adjustment by the interlock formed at 2'7-29. The roller is tightly embraced by a cover 31 of fabric or the like to afford the mentioned traction between it and the fabric A. In Fig. 2 this is shown as a plain sleeve of fabric embracing the roller; in Fig. 3 it is shown as a spiral wrapping. This cover in either case is expansible so as to permit expanding adjustment of the roller.

One nut 30 and the adjoining head may be equipped with a dial 32 and pointer 33 to indicate the rotary displacement of the nut and consequently the diameter of the roller corresponding thereto.

The roller may be used for other purposes than that herein set forth, to wit, for example, as a rotary element in contact with which fabric or other material is made to travel in unison with the rotary roller, which becomes then a. means for operating some indicator or "clock in measuring the fabric; infact the machine shown in Fig. 1 may be regarded as such a measuring machine, every rotation of a roller 8 corresponding to a given length in the goods. When the periphery ofthe roller wears away or otherwise becomes reduced in diameter the roller may be expanded to compensate for this wear whereby the accuracy of the machine in measuring can always be preserved notwithstanding reduction in diameter of Lesmo@ its periphery due to wear thereof. At present there is no practical means whereby compensation for peripheral wear of the roller is possible, wherefore either the machine fails to measure properly or else the roller has to be removed :from the machine and re-surfaced or recovered.

Having thus fully described my invention what to lengthwise offset portions of said piece in one direction lengthwise thereof and at variable speed ratios, an indicator bearing downwardly against the piece in said bend and movable up or down in said structure, and elastic means resisting the rise of the indicator.

2. An apparatus of the' class described, comprising, with supporting structure including a plurality of vats to contain separate liquids through which the lengthy piece to-be treated is adapted to travel successively, means, including a row of rotating variable-diameter elements over which the piece `extends and down between which the piece reaches in bends into the liquid lin the successive vats, for imparting advance to lengthwise offset portions of said piece in one direction lengthwise thereof and at variable-speed ratios, independent indicators bearing downwardly against the piece in the successive bends and each movable up or down in said structure and independent elastic means resisting the rise of the respective indicators.

3. The combination, with a roller body having longitudinal slats forming its periphery and movable radially, of means to adjust'the slats radially comprising a structure extending and movable axially through the roller body and having Wedge interlock with the slats conning the slats to said structure against radial displacement when the adjustment has'been effected.

4. The combination, with a roller body having longitudinal slats forming its periphery and movable radially, of means to adjust the slats radially comprising a structure extending and movable axially through the roller body and having wedge engagement with the slats, said slats lll@ and structure having interlocks confining the slats l any position of saidstructure.

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